2011 Honda Odyssey: Up Close and Personal

Wow, I got to say, Honda has really out done themselves with this one. I would hate to compete against this van. I am really impressed.

Here are some short form notes that I came away with;

-the 3rd row seats are even easier than the outgoing model with only one step needed to fold the seats into the floor.

-the 2nd row seats not only slide forward and back, but also side to side 'wide mode' (approx 2 inches), so when you have the plus one seat in the middle, you can space out the row more evenly giving much more elbow room or you can fit 3X child seats in. We had the van loaded up 3X adults along the 3rd row and everyone was comfortable.

-great visability for the 3rd row occupants, the 'lightning bolt' side profile design is really effective.

-the spare tire stays inside, going back to the 1999-2004 Odyssey's orig spot located between the front seats and the second row (think about where the lazy susan goes in the 2005-2010). This keeps you and the tire clean when changing a flat in the middle of the winter, you don't have to crawl under the van to get the spare.

-Touring models have a 'Blind Spot Indicator' that will let you know with a indicator light (no beeps!) that there is a car (somehow recognizes vehicles only) in your blind spot behind your rear tire.

-all models have Bluetooth now, except LX.

-the new cool box has it's own AC unit so that you can have your drinks cool even when you have the heat on through the cabin -- most cool boxes have the cabin AC air flow through and when you turn your heat on guess what happens to the cool box, not so cool anymore.

-the Touring models come with Auto Levelling Headlights, so when you tow anything and your front end angles up from the weight, the head lights will level back down so that your lights aren't into oncoming traffic eyes.

-you will be surprised how your phone can be integrated into the entertainment system, through the Bluetooth, you can play any songs loaded on your phone through the sound system.

and much more....